Decided to cruise (first time) as an extended family with 10 people--grandkids to grandparents, age range 3-80. Did Alaska, inside passage, mid-August on the Bliss. For my family of 4 (included 16y/o and 11 y/o), we chose a balcony stateroom plus an interior stateroom. This was ~$10,000 just for the two staterooms ($6K + $4K, respectively). Onboard costs came to $4,000: mostly for shore excursions at 3 Alaska ports, 5 spa appointments, and the daily 'service fee' (4 people x 7 days); also did one 'upgrade restaurant' meal at Margaritaville. Lots of small fees like movie rental ($10 per movie in the cabin--really, NCL?), go-karts ($10 per ride), Starbucks (around same prices as on land), ice cream, etc. Lots of these little hidden fees, so be careful! With airfare and one extra night in Seattle, for our family of (4), this vacation cost us around $17,000.

If we had all crammed into one cabin, we could have saved ~$4,000, but it would have been a bit uncomfortable. And if we had just walked around town without doing the excursions (or just taken our chances and booked them at the port), that would have saved a lot, also. But then we could have missed out on experiencing the amazing outdoors in Alaska (we did snorkeling [see Ketchikan snorkeling; it was great!], fishing, and kayaking). So this cruise certainly can be done for less than $17K for a family of four, but if you did it like us, it gets very expensive, very quickly.

* Ship: First time on a cruise, so nothing to compare to, but was clean, with a lot of variety. You should know that the kid activities that drew us in (go-kart track, laser tag) were booked up quick. Boarded ship a bit after noon, and luckily got some go-kart times for each of the kids, but the laser tag was already booked solid and they never got to do that. Elevators often had a queue and took a while to get between floors (ended up mostly using stairs when not with grandparents or the little kids). Getting off/on at ports was very fast, but final disembarking was a zoo (elevators packed, long lines on gangways). Gym was nice, but super-packed in mornings not in port! And the spin classes also sold out (surprise, there is a fee!) by the time we looked into them. The observation lounge was beautiful (comfortable chairs, panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, bar) and highly recommended as great place to hang out, play card games, etc., though packed in daytime hours. If you choose this ship, just be prepared to fight the crowds... Read more